Villa

Abstract Borchardt’s essay “Villa” was originally published in 1907 in two instalments in the Frankfurter Zeitung (vol. 51, Nr. 46, February 15, and Nr. 16, 1907, morning editions, pp. 1-3). The essay explores the Italian villa as a socioeconomic and cultural institution that, historically, has shaped and dominated the Italian cultural landscape. The villa as a building expresses the underlying socio-economic and cultural order of the surrounding region, an order which, in turn, can be comprehended through a thorough aesthetic analysis of villa buildings. Borchardt’s essay embeds the aesthetic analysis in a series of juxtapositions, among them, for example, a northern-European, Germanic perception of cultural landscapes versus a southern, Italian one; the German country home versus the Italian villa; or tourists taking in villas from a distance versus the culturally aware, almost sensual perception of foreigners such as Borchardt living in Italy. The essay begins with broad comparisons between Italian and German cultural landscapes, but quickly proceeds to a detailed analysis of the (northern) Italian countryside, especially Tuscany, and individual villas. The detailed aesthetic analysis of the architecture of villas is, according to Borchardt, the key to unlocking the socioeconomic and cultural order that gave rise to these buildings.